To the Editor:

My name is Jacob Vaillancourt. I moved to Hull in 2017 and have volunteered here on several town projects. In 2018, fellow residents suggested the light board could benefit from fresh ideas, but I waited until spring 2020 to run, because I wanted to understand the challenges first. By then, my husband and I had noticed that we were experiencing more frequent outages than anywhere we’d ever lived. I ran on one simple promise: reliable, cost-effective power for Hull.

During my first summer on the board, we endured a long-duration outage – not due to the light plant’s operations, but because of aging feeder lines running through Hingham. With power restoration critical in the midst of a lethal viral COVID19 outbreak, I proposed and the board advised the town manager to procure and install temporary winter generators. Whether you agree with that solution or not, it worked. That experience taught me that creative, practical solutions can protect our community when it matters most.

During the past five years, I have deepened my understanding of our municipal light plant’s operations, its legal framework under Chapter 164, and the opportunities ahead. That is why I’ve sponsored a citizens’ petition for Article 37 at town meeting – not as a critique of any individual, but because I see a clear path to better governance, lower rates, cleaner power, and greater accountability.

Key issue: Governance structure

• Out of 41 municipal light plants in Massachusetts, only five – Hull included – combine the town manager and light plant manager roles.

• Under this “dual role” arrangement (per our special act charter), the town manager controls all department budgets, including the light plant’s, creating a built-in financial conflict of interest.

• Before this structure, Hull’s rates ranked below two-thirds of other MLPs. Today, we pay more than 66% of them.

• Meanwhile, 35 fellow MLPs operate with separate, dedicated managers overseen by elected light boards, and most of them deliver more competitive rates year after year.

I understand concerns that the light board may lack expertise, and that consolidating authority can feel more efficient. But concentrating budget control in a single office has driven up our rates, increased payment-in-lieu-of-taxes (PILOT) demands – now about 2% of the light plant budget –and discouraged the checks and balances that protect ratepayers.

Hull prides itself on charting its own course. But when that course costs every household more, it’s time to realign with proven, democratic governance under Chapter 164. Article 37 simply restores the balance that other Massachusetts towns have successfully maintained for more than a century.

Please join me at town meeting and support Article 37. Together, we can ensure Hull enjoys reliable electricity, fair rates, and transparent oversight – always.

Thank you for your consideration,

Jacob Vaillancourt

Like what you’re reading? Stay informed and support our work with a Hull Times subscription by clicking here.

Do you have an opinion to share? Click here to write a Letter to the Editor.